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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24759277">Slow Dancing In A Burning... Bank?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilithiyarys/pseuds/ilithiyarys'>ilithiyarys</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Partners [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Chicago PD (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, Trapped in a Burning Building, Upstead, Whump</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:21:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,049</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24759277</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilithiyarys/pseuds/ilithiyarys</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jay and Hailey find themselves caught in the aftermath of a deadly explosion that traps them inside the basement of a burning down bank.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jay Halstead/Hailey Upton</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Partners [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1766698</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>96</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Slow Dancing In A Burning... Bank?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>An incredibly talented video editor, @voightsgirl, prompted this on her instagram story and I had to give it a shot (there were so many tasty ideas) so here's me giving it a shot</p><p>Prompt(s)?:<br/>- hailey and jay get stuck in a fire<br/>- will is outside pleading for casey to save them / it's my brother<br/>- Hailey and jay are trying to find a way out but they're breathing in smoke<br/>- hailey is injured and passing out from the smoke and jay is all like 'come on, stay with me'<br/>- jay's got his arms around her like a big protective bear and they're like 'we're not gonna make it are we?' so they hold hands thinking they're gonna die<br/>- Obviously they don't die but jay refuses to let go of her hand in the ambulance</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jay let out a cough, as he came around from being knocked out by the impact of the explosion. They were checking out the basement of the BMO headquarters  when a massive explosion caused everything to collapse. Jay wasn’t sure if it was a bomb, a gas leak, earthquake, whatever. All he knew was in a flash, he’d been separated from his partner, and that they seemed to be trapped in the lower level.</p><p>"Hailey? Hailey, you good?"</p><p>He heard vicious coughing down from what once was a hallway. Jay pushed himself off the ground, throat dry from the dust and smoke he'd inhaled from the explosion. There were slabs of concrete and debris spattered all over the place - pipes and wires hanging dangerously from the torn down roof.</p><p>Jay cautiously made his way through the hallway - pushing rocks, pieces of metal and concrete out of the way, climbing through little openings of the walls that had fallen to heaps and piles, like barriers blocking the way. There were little fires all over the place that would soon become a massive problem if they all caught onto one another.</p><p>The brunette rushed through the maze of obstacles to get to his partner.</p><p>It was going to be difficult to get the both of them out of here, he thought.</p><p>Finally, he caught a glimpse of her blonde hair. It was matted with dirt and ash. He heard her wheeze, causing him to sprint towards her.</p><p>"Oh my God, Hailey!" he cried, after getting a full view of his partner. The blonde lay on the ground with a metal beam pinning her down, across her torso.</p><p><em>Not fucking good</em>.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“Casey! Is it true? Is my brother in there?” Will shouted from a distance.</p><p>Matt turned around, greeting the redheaded doctor.</p><p>“Will, hey! Hold up," Matt said, holding him back. "Yes, Jay and Hailey were both in there when the explosion happened. We’re trying to send a rescue team but it’s difficult because we don’t know if it was a bomb or if there was a gas leak or a burst pipe that caused this. We’re still trying to assess it.”</p><p>“Assess faster! The longer they’re trapped in there, the less of a chance they have of survival! Matt... It's my brother,” his voice cracked.</p><p>“Will, I know, I know. We’re doing our best, okay? Just let us do our jobs. We’ll get them out,” Matt assured him, tapping his shoulder.</p><p>Will placed his hands on top of his head. He’d never felt so helpless in his entire life. All he could do was pray and hope his brother and Hailey weren’t coming out in body bags.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Jay kneeled next to Hailey, trying to assess the damage.</p><p>"Jay?" she coughed. She’d inhaled in a good amount of smoke - she was closer to the fire at the end of the hallway. He did his best to keep her calm, although what he was feeling was anything but.</p><p>"Hey, shhh, I'm right here Hailey. You've been pinned under a beam but I'm gonna try to get you out, okay? Just keep holding on."</p><p>With every ounce of strength he had, he attempted to pull the metal beam off of her but it was no avail. It was too heavy for him. His eyes darted back and forth around the area for something that he could use to leverage the beam off his partner’s body.</p><p>Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a slab of concrete just a few meters away. He picked it up, placing it next to his partner.</p><p>“Hailey, I’m going to lift the beam off of you by using this pole and piece of concrete as a leverage. Do you think you’ll be able to move?”</p><p>“I’ll try my best,” she said, almost breathlessly.</p><p>Jay knew she wasn’t doing well, and it pained him knowing how much this was going to hurt her.</p><p>“It’s not going to be easy, but it might be our only chance of getting that thing off you,”</p><p>The blonde quietly sighed. “I know… okay, let’s do it,”</p><p>“Alright on the count of three, you’re gonna have to pull yourself away as quick as you can,”</p><p>She nodded.</p><p>“Okay, one… two… three! Now!”</p><p>Hailey let out a pained cry, forcing herself away as the beam was lifted off of her. Jay grunted, trying to keep it up for as long as he could. She managed to move herself far enough out of the way, and to Jay’s relief, he was able to finally let go.</p><p>“Argh,” he shouted, dropping the beam onto the ground. He immediately rushed next to Hailey’s side.</p><p>“Oh God, Hailey. You’re bleeding,”</p><p>He instantly placed his hands on her torso, where he didn’t previously see that she’d been wounded by a stray piece of metal that had apparently been sticking out from the beam.</p><p>She sucked in a sharp breath as he applied pressure to her abdomen.</p><p>“Jay… You need to get out of here. I’m only going to slow you down,”</p><p>“Hailey, don’t say that. I’m gonna get us both out of here, okay? I’m not leaving you behind.”</p><p>“You were always so stubborn,” she chuckled.</p><p>“You know me so well,” he replied, hoping to keep her spirits high. “Are you able to put pressure on your wound so I can help you get up and move?”</p><p>“Yeah,” she nodded.</p><p>“Okay, on three. One… two… three,”</p><p>He lifted her almost effortlessly, draping her arm over his shoulders, supporting her by the waist.</p><p>“Moving,” he said, as they moved through the hallways. The fires were getting worse, and the smoke was slowly beginning to build up through the basement.</p><p>They were close to the stairwell, only to find the top of it engulfed in flames. Jay’s heart sank, knowing they were completely trapped.</p><p>
  <em>There’s no way out.</em>
</p><p>At the same time, Hailey crumpled to the ground.</p><p>“Ah,” she groaned.</p><p>“Hailey? What’s wrong?”</p><p>“Can’t move, hurts too much,” she breathed, clutching her abdomen.</p><p>“Hold on, let me see,”</p><p>Her shirt was nearly completely soaked with blood. He gently lifted the wet fabric, horrified to see what was under. Her wound had gotten worse from the climbing and moving that they’d been doing, and by the looks of it, could be infected.</p><p>“Oh God, Hailey. Um, okay. Hold on,”</p><p>He took his shirt off, and began ripping it up. He took one portion and bunched it up to place on her wound, and took the other portion to wrap around her body and keep it in place.</p><p>“Never thought I’d see the day my partner strips in front of me,” Hailey managed to get out.</p><p>“Yeah, I was hoping this shirtless scenario would have taken place under better circumstances,” he quipped, leaving his little comment up to her interpretation knowing full well the intention was there. Shortly after, he reached for her hand.</p><p>"We’re not gonna make it, are we?" She quietly stirred. She could feel herself slipping into darkness from the pain and smoke inhalation.</p><p>Her question was rhetorical - at least for her - she knew she wasn’t going to make it.</p><p>For the first time in his life, he was speechless. Jay never feared death, and yet for the first time, he feared it - not for himself but for his partner.</p><p>She <em>has</em> to make it.</p><p>"Jay, it's okay… if we don’t make it out of here… if death is around the corner… I'm glad I'm going out with you." She breathed.</p><p>That broke him. He couldn't force the tears he'd been holding back this whole time. He'd been trying to stay strong for the both of them. He shook his head, as he attempted to move behind her, wrapping her small frame within the confines of his arms. The back of her head rested on his shoulder, and subconsciously he leaned his head towards hers. His left hand laid on top of hers that was applying pressure to her stomach, and his other hand gently took ahold of her right hand, locking his fingers with hers.</p><p>"Hailey… If this is how we go… I wanted to say that I'm sorry. I'm sorry I put you in this position. You shouldn't have followed me on something that I felt in my gut… I always fucking do this Hailey, and I never should have put you in this position. I'm sorry that I wasn't strong enough to get us both out of here. Sorry that we got into this mess, but the thing I'm most sorry about is that I never got to tell you this… That I love you with my whole heart. I'm sorry I never told you, Hailey. I was too scared, too stupid to push my own insecurities and ego aside. I fell for you a long, long time ago, and I was too dumb to admit it. I just… I just didn't want to get hurt again. But you, Hailey… You changed my whole world. Every time you showed up to work, my heart would flutter. The way you'd smile at me when I brought you coffee every morning… The way your eyes would look at me so gently every time I fucked something up. Every night, when I close my eyes, all I see is you and gets me through the night. You're in my every thought. I knew you were the person I wanted to spend my life with, I just didn't know when the time would be right. I know you were going through your own stuff too, and I should have been there for you. I just… I just didn't know how. Hailey, I regret not telling you sooner how I feel about you. And you don't have to say it back at all, if you don't feel the same way, but I just wanted you to know how loved you are by me…"</p><p>He paused, letting the tears fall. “I love you, Hailey. I love you with my whole heart and I’m sorry that I let you down-“</p><p>She cut him off before he could continue. “Jay, I… I love you too. That’s what I was gonna say to you at the hospital when you were shot… I just didn’t have the guts to tell you at the time. I’m sorry because I should've told you sooner,”</p><p>“No, Hailey. You don’t have anything to apologize for, okay? It wasn't the right time then. I guess that makes us both dumb,” He coughed, trying to make the best of the situation.</p><p>“I love you, you dummy,” she breathed. Her eyelids began to droop, and the tension between their fingers began to loosen.</p><p>Jay shook his head, coughing from the smoke that seemed to grow thicker and thicker.</p><p>“No, come on Hailey, stay with me! Stay with me!” He pleaded, holding her hand a little tighter.</p><p>“Hailey, come on! Don’t do this!” He cried, bringing her hand up to his face, kissing it. “Hailey, please! Don’t leave me,”</p><p>As if they were on cue, Severide and Casey broke through the door at the top of the staircase. Jay could hear their muffled shouts.</p><p>“Jay! Hailey! Call out!”</p><p>“Down here! Hurry - Hailey’s in bad shape!” Jay shouted.</p><p>The next few minutes were a blur to Jay. A flurry of firefighters came down, blasting the flames with water, moving slabs of concrete out of the way, doing damage control, and helping them out of the basement. The next thing he knew, they were in the back of the ambulance 61 with Brett, Foster, and Will.</p><p>They’d draped a blanket over Jay’s shoulders and given him an oxygen mask to help with his breathing. Hailey had been intubated, as her breathing had become dangerously shallow. Will and Sylvie continued to work on her, trying to save her life. Things like "belly is hard," and "internal bleeding" echoed through the ambulance, but Jay was completely zoned out, staring at his unconscious partner.</p><p>He was still holding onto her hand - he'd refused to let go at all. The only time he let go was when she’d been whisked away into surgery, but the moment he was allowed to see her again, he held her hand and didn’t let go.</p><p>And he held on tightly until she woke up.</p>
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